New estate for weekend musician and daily - petrol vs diesel

cmrastra · 19 Aug 2019 at 23:55

Had my 59 plate 1.4 petrol astra for 2 years (first car) but was a total loss due to crash a few weeks back - not my fault.

Looking to get an estate to replace it. Daily commute is only 1.5-2 miles. However at weekends I play in a band and regularly go wild camping etc, so will do 50-200miles of a weekend. additionally with some rehearsals this may add 50 miles on top on some weeks. Yearly mileage is 11,000; the weekends make up for short commute journies. My close family are also a 2 hr motorway drive away.
a mixed bag of driving, but most of the miles or motorway/dual carriageway.

Due to interests and hobbies I want more boot space, more torque & power whilst more efficient on the longer drives.

I have around £4k to spend.

Been looking at things like Skoda Octavia Estates, audi A4s... any further suggestions? Any thoughts on petrol vs diesel? I am keen to get away from Vauxhall, not overly keen on Fords but would consider, same with Volvo V50s etc. What common faults should I be looking for when looking at these models? I know I can expect mileage of 60k-90k in this price range - what should I be weary of??? The mpg of diesels on long journeys is currently attracting me..

Duke · 20 Aug 2019 at 21:24

Octavia is good for the money and may not need the estate version as the boot is pretty big. Definitely go for petrol.

cmrastra · 21 Aug 2019 at 22:05

Cheers Duke - why definitely for petrol?

Cookeh · 23 Aug 2019 at 15:42

As a result of the mileage. That daily commute is not nearly long enough to warrant a diesel (it won't even have a chance to get to temperature, which will cause all manner of problems over time).

cmrastra · 26 Aug 2019 at 11:42

I thought that to be the case during the week - but surely the weekend mileage would make up for it and give me better returns on mpg, or am i missing something?

nft_99 · 26 Aug 2019 at 11:48

Octavia, would see if any Skoda Superb come in on that budget.

Outcast · 26 Aug 2019 at 12:17

Check out Civic Tourers too.

Begbie · 26 Aug 2019 at 12:24

In a similar scenario, Mazda 6 is worth considering too.

mid_gen · 26 Aug 2019 at 14:28

In exactly the same boat myself, need to buy something in the next few weeks. Short commute, but occasional long trips and room for climbing gear.

Been keeping an eye out for Octavia, A4/A6, 3 series, 5 series, Passats etc. I'm just not sure if it's getting a 2-3k high miler and taking my chances, or pushing the budget up to 5-6k to get something a little younger is worthwhile or not.

I'm inclined to go for the former as many friends and family have run 5 series, A4/A6 to 250k+ miles without trouble.

HangTime · 26 Aug 2019 at 22:28

cmrastra said:
I thought that to be the case during the week - but surely the weekend mileage would make up for it and give me better returns on mpg, or am i missing something?

It would be enough to clear out the DPF but still not ideal and at only 11k/year no reason why petrol shouldn't be suitable. Only consider diesels as a way of broadening the market (some models can be harder to find in petrol form for a sensible price).

jpaul · 27 Aug 2019 at 10:36

as a, only had petrol, & 15K user ...
it's difficult to be objective you dream of those 55/60mpg figures with a diesel @70mph long distance on a motorway (friends octavia) - 'cheap' motoring,
versus the ~40mpg you get in a petrol ... and forget about the potential delta running costs ... that's how the diesel siren gets you.